Deranged MAGA Fan’s Family Called Cops a Day Before D.C. Bomb Scare: Docs
Local cops in North Carolina received a warning from a family member about MAGA fan and Capitol bomb threat suspect Floyd Ray Roseberry the day before he parked outside the Library of Congress claiming he had a bomb while livestreaming anti-government rants.
That’s according to a criminal complaint filed Friday in D.C. federal court, charging Roseberry with threatening to use a weapon of mass destruction and attempting to use an explosive device.
“During the course of these events on August 19, 2021, which garnered widespread media attention, a local law enforcement official in Cleveland County, North Carolina contacted the FBI to report that the official recognized ROSEBERRY as the subject of a report received the previous day, on August 18, 2021, by a person (W-1) related to ROSEBERRY,” the complaint states.
The family member told police that Roseberry “had recently expressed anti-government views and an intent to travel to Virginia or Washington, D.C. to conduct acts of violence,” the complaint says. Roseberry also told the family member that he’d “ordered a trench coat to protect him from Taser and pepper ball guns and he would just tip his cowboy hat at the police.”
On Aug. 17, two days before he was arrested, Roseberry wrote on his now-deleted Facebook page, “Trench coat will be here Friday….I’m excitrd [sic].....”
At about 9:15 a.m., Capitol police responded to reports of a black pickup truck parked on a sidewalk, just a few feet from the Capitol and Supreme Court. The driver told police that he had a bomb and a detonator in his hand, leading to the immediate evacuation of surrounding buildings.
In a Facebook livestream, Roseberry held up a metal container of what he claimed was tannerite, a binary explosive compound popular with firearms enthusiasts for its ability to detonate by gunfire.
Seemingly addressing President Joe Biden, Roseberry said there were four other explosives “sittin’ around this town,” and, once they detonated, “the patriots are gonna come, because you don’t know where them four are sitting one of them might be sitting at your backdoor—better, better talk to me, Joe.”
Deranged MAGA Supporter Who Livestreamed Capitol Bomb Threat Is Taken Into Custody
Roseberry identified himself in the livestream and on Facebook as a Trump supporter who believes the Democrats must “step down.” Old videos on his Facebook page, which has been taken down, show he attended at least one rally to overturn Joe Biden’s 2020 election victory, the “Million MAGA March” in Washington, D.C. on Nov. 14.
“I love this land,” Roseberry said in his livestream, which was reviewed by The Daily Beast prior to its removal. “We got a few options here, Joe. You shoot me, two-and-a-half blocks go with it. And then you’re talking about revolution? The revolution’s on. It’s here, it’s today. Told my wife I’d be home by Sunday. I’m looking for all my other patriots to come out and help me.”
Roseberry was taken into custody after five tense hours of negotiations. Authorities did not find a bomb inside Roseberry’s vehicle, but said that “possible bomb making materials were collected from the truck.”
“After ROSEBERRY’s arrest, the can that ROSEBERRY was observed holding was recovered in the front seat of the truck,” the complaint states. “The can was old and rusted and had approximately 1 – 2" of an unknown powder in the bottom of it. A fabricated trigger was attached to the top of the can. The can was sent to an FBI laboratory for further examination.”
Roseberry was ordered detained without bail at a hearing in D.C. federal court, pending a medical evaluation.
Magistrate Judge Zia Faruqui ordered the screening after Roseberry said he had a hard time understanding what was happening because he had not taken his “mind medicine” since his arrest on Thursday. Public records list Roseberry’s age as 49. In court, he claimed to be 51.
Roseberry is due back in court next Wednesday, If convicted, he faces a maximum sentence of life in prison.
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